Look Out for Reepicheep

During the Comic-Con panel, Taylor (and Adamson from the set, via satellite) unveiled some action-packed pre-vis footage that included griffins, dwarves and a first glimpse at the would-be Yoda that many expect to be the second flick’s breakout character.

“I think he might be up there with Puss in Boots out of ‘Shrek,’ ” laughed Taylor, discussing the potential impending popularity of a tough-guy mouse named Reepicheep. “He will be brilliant, and I’m sure the audience will embrace the good humor of him.

“Reepicheep is one of the most famous fantasy characters in Western literature,” he added. “This is a crazy little mouse who stands about a foot tall and runs around with a sword called a rapier. It’s a fencing foil, the sort of thing Zorro might fight with, and he does some serious damage.”